Holidays can be hard...

Aha, so you’re in Indiana now! I was born and raised in Iowa, went to college in Colorado (we flat-landers do love the mountains!) where I met hubby, then we lived in Los Angeles for a few years (his original home), but now have been in Atlanta ever after. I spent far less years of my life in Iowa, but honestly it’ll always remain “home” to me, after all.

We would love to see those photos of Ginger. If you’d like, you can email them to us at k9cushings@gmail.com and maybe I (or more likely another staffer who’s much better at manipulating photos ;-) can get them uploaded into a reply here. I’m such a doofus myself that I can’t make any promises, but I’m surely willing to try!

I will definitely do that! You will love them. Thank you so much!

Ging loved Halloween. Not so much the holiday, but seeing all the people. She would sit in the window watching and waiting.. as soon as she caught a glimpse of someone coming up the walk, her tail wagged as fast as it could go!. I truly think she thought everyone was coming to see HER!
She loved everyone and never met a stranger..
I will miss that so much this year.

I miss that every Halloween. Lena loved to sit on the stoop with me while I handed out candy to the kids. Someone always wanted to take a picture of her, or her with their kids. Sibbie hates all the costumes and doesn't like anyone touching her but us. Then there's the other ones barking at every single person either coming to the door or just walking past...and it's on Sunday this year! Arghhh! A whole day of my dogs barking...It used to be one of my favorite holidays :(

I miss my good, little baby...

Sending hugs!! We are having so many " firsts" without Ginger it seems like we just get past one and dry the tears, and another comes up. So very thankful for all the wonderful years and memories... but the hurt is still there.
Colleen

P.S. My pumpkin this year!
She loved seeing the kids…Attachment 8722

Colleen, I did it! Finally figured out how to add your photo!! So here’s Angel Ginger for everybody to see.;););)

Your pumpkin is amazing, and lit by an angel’s glowing spirit, for sure! I just love it…

(I’ll also go back and try to add your other photos later on in another reply ;-)

Love, Marianne

Woohoo! You rock! I will see if I can see her on here. Thank you so much.
Love, Colleen!

Saw it! Wonderful! Thanks so much.

What a great pumpkin!

Thanks Joan..
Sending love and hugs!

Aa we come to the close of Halloween, I hope you all had a nice day and fun evening. Our weather was cloudy, a bit windy and chilly, but for the last day of October it wasn't bad at all. The trees are just beautiful...
Ginger would have loved today, with a capital "L"
Perfect weather for her.. and plenty of leaves to rustle through. Missed her being here so very much. She added so much joy to every day! There were about 30 Trick or Treaters tonight.. cute costumes.. I know she would have enjoyed each one, " especially with the scent of chocolate in the air and possibly on their hands!"
She has changed me.. with her life, and more so with her passing... there is not another piece of this puzzle we call life that will ever correctly fit that missing void again.

And now it is the morning after…I confess to feeling a bit let down because I do love Halloween so much, and now there’ll be another whole year to wait! My most important report is that Luna did get to wear the orange collar. She wasn’t able to greet any kids at the door because we decided to stick with setting up a card table with help-yourself treat baggies out on the lawn. After three chilly days of rain, yesterday was finally dry. Still chilly and breezy, but that made it feel genuinely like fall. We had about forty kids come by, and they all seemed to be having a great time as we waved and called out to them. And hubby and I admired Luna’s collar inside the house all evening. We told her how special and pretty she was. Many, many times. She continues to grow weaker, and eats less and less. But we were able to share one more Halloween with her and that was a huge gift. As you say, Colleen, everything will be different at some point in the future. So yesterday was a massive gift indeed.

It turned out to be a relatively early night of trick or treating, I think because so many families here in Atlanta wanted to tune into the World Series. We were all hoping for the final victory here last night, but alas it was not to be. Maybe tomorrow. We’ll see. Anyway, now it’s back to the mundane chores of the day. But we got our special evening with the orange collar, and that’ll stay in the memory book forever.

I am so thankfully Luna got to wear her orange collar once again! Definitely a memory that will last a lifetime. How old is Luna? Bless her heart. I have been keeping her, and you and yours in my prayers daily.
Sending love and hugs.

8 long months, 35 weeks since we said goodbye to our sweet, sweet Ginger. The last 3 or 4 days have been extremely difficult. Sometimes we never know why and I am trying to learn that that is ok. I came across this quote and it helped ease it a little, yet the pool of tears are still resting just behind my eyelids.
"It's ok if you thought you were over it, but it hits you all over again. It's ok to fall apart even if you thought you had it all under control. You are not weak. Healing is messy. And there's no timeline for healing."
Hope this brings some help to others.
Be blessed.

Colleen, thank you so much for sharing that quote. I think it’s so wise and so true. As time passes , I think it can be hard, sometimes, for us to give *ourselves* permission to continue to grieve. I don’t think our culture is very supportive in that way. Especially with pets, so many people expect you to “get over it” and move on. What they don’t understand is that you don’t ever get over it. You just have to find a way to live with it, and forever some days will be much harder than others.

This has been a hard week for our family in a lot of ways. Two days after Halloween, our Joan lost her dear big boy Gable after he suddenly fell ill on Halloween night. She has a thread about him on our “Everything Else” forum. Gable has been aging alongside my Luna, and Joan and I have been comparing lots of notes during these past few months. Losing Gable has been a very sad shock for me, too, as though Luna has lost her brother from across the miles. And as it turns out, Luna is continuing her down-slide this week, too. She turned 13 in August, and is now the longest-lived of the three Labs my husband and I have been blessed with. We’re so very lucky she’s had a normal lifespan, but we know the end is in sight. She’s weaker and stumbling a lot more this week, and basically stopped eating and drinking again for a couple of days. I talked at length with our vet on Thursday, and as anybody who has ever owned a Lab knows, inappetance is a very bad sign. But at this point we’re done with diagnostics. We’re just keeping her comfortable here at home, and she still does seem comfortable and “herself.” He prescribed a daily appetite stimulant for her and that really seemed to help over the weekend. But my heart sank this morning when she once again turned her head away from the breakfast I offered her. At this point, I never know what any given day will bring, just like with Gable. But our vet has raised all our dogs right alongside us, he knows where things stand, and he reassured me that he’ll be there for us whenever we think the time has come. One day or one month or more, I do not know. We just keep loving on her every minute we can.

When Gable passed away, I was looking for some words of comfort to share, too. I couldn’t find the quote I was hunting for, but I did find this quote that I added to Gable’s thread. I think I’ll add it here, too, because it really touches my heart. It’s a quote from Winnie the Pooh, and it’s underneath a picture of Pooh holding Piglet’s hand:

Quote:

---

How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.

---

As I said to Joan, “lucky” is not a word I’d have thought of right now for any of us who are struggling. But gosh, it really is true at least for me. I’m so lucky to have had all my doggies share their lives with me, and that’s what I’m going to keep telling myself. Maybe that’ll help balance the pain a tiny bit. Probably not really, but I’m hoping I can try…

Here is a quote from a plaque my sister gave me the Xmas after Lena died. Josh was here with me yesterday and we were trying to remember what it said. I have been in a fog all week and just couldn't get it right even though I have read it almost every day for the last five years. I had taken it down to decorate for Halloween and couldn't remember where I put it, but I found it this morning. I don't know who wrote it, it says anonymous. Maybe it will help all of us...


It came to me that every time I lose a dog
they take a piece of my heart with them,
and every new dog who comes into my life
gifts me with a piece of their heart.

If I live long enough
all the components of my heart will be dog,
and I will become as generous and loving as they are.

Thank you both so much!! Both quotes ring so true...
I am very thankful for every day of the 16 years, 1 month, 7 days we shared with our Ginger.( she was 5 months old when we got her.). Yes, to love so much it makes goodbye so hard, we are lucky, fortunate and blessed.. I so want to have a heart like Gingers
There will be days I will think of this. Perhaps not today.. but eventually.. sending much love and hugs to both of you..

Starting to feel a little more anxious with Thanksgiving coming up. Trying to keep my focus on all the Thanksgivings we got to share with Ginger, but it's hard sometimes. She loved it so. She was always right there in the kitchen laying, waiting patiently for the Turkey to get done. Beautiful brown eyes glistening with anticipation.. now mine glisten with tears....

The memories of our beloved traditions are such a mixed bag, aren’t they, or at least they are for me. In some ways my memories keep my angels always close to my heart. In other ways, they only widen the gulf between my emptier life today and joyful times in the past.

My mom would have been 102 today. We lost her almost three years ago, and I miss her every day but especially so again today. I should be planning her birthday celebration and looking ahead to baking together next week. I treasure the memories, but it does hurt so much that memories are all I have left of our lives together.

Fingers crossed we’ll be leaving for Tennessee on Tuesday to spend Thanksgiving with my brother’s family. This is our first trip since COVID began, and the first time seeing them all in person instead of Zoom! The last two Thanksgivings without my mom were probably my two hardest days ever without her, so I’m holding out hope for a better time this year. Of course Luna is the wild card. I’m praying she stays stable enough for the trip to go OK. We’ll be staying in a hotel, and we’ll be leaving her all quiet and cozy in her big travel crate while we’re spending time with family. She loves her crate and never barks, so that’s all good. But will she eat? I sure hope so. The appetite stimulant seems to be helping, thank goodness. And yesterday morning, she seemed the best overall that she’d been for a while. I felt so hopeful for the week ahead. And then, she started shaking her ears and when I checked them I found *fleas* on them! FLEAS!! And yes, more fleas everywhere!!! OMG.

In thirty years with dogs, we’d never before seen a single flea. Not one. So I’d quit with flea preventative a few years back — one less thing to cause any side effects, I’d thought. And now my poor baby who hardly even steps foot outside is being bitten by fleas, and probably has been for a while. OMG. What a horrible mother I am. I can’t imagine how she got them. Although now she is so feeble that when she does go out on the front lawn to do her chores, she sometimes lies down on the grass for a minute or two. So that must be it. Anyway, I rushed to the vet and gave her the edible that kills all the living fleas in a few hours and I’ve vacuumed twice already and scalded all her blankets and towels in hot water and the dryer. *Anything* that’s to go on the trip with us will be thoroughly washed and segregated. I surely don’t want to take a single egg up there to pass on to anyone else! And thankfully she ate a decent breakfast this morning so the pill must not have upset her stomach. But seriously. Did I need fleas? No I did not. But at least I found them yesterday instead of Tuesday morning, so there *is* that…

Anyway, that’s where things stand in our house for today. I’ll be busying myself with more cleaning chores today and lighting a candle for my mom tonight. And looking ahead to next week when a new and hopefully joyful Thanksgiving memory will be made. I’m so ready to let others do the cooking this year since it’s so sad for me not to be cooking with my mom. But mainly I’m so ready to be spending time with family once again. It’ll be a very small group, but still I am sooooooo ready for that. It feels like it’s been forever…

I am sending you lots of hugs today and wish your mom a Happy Birthday in Heaven! The first few Birthday's of my dads after he passed were terrible! Just heart wrenching. The holidays were extremely difficult also! I understand so very much.. daddy was my music buddy, my idol, my Hero!
Now with Ginger gone... it will be 2 empty places this holiday season.. I cherish all of the memories they each hold.. But I know and expect and accept that these will be difficult without our little girl.
The fleas... yuck, yuck, yuck,... I am sorry about that, but glad you found them before your trip. I am praying Luna does well. I am thankful she is eating.. I pray for safe travels and a truly wonderful Thanksgiving for you and yours!

Oh Colleen, thank you so much for your hugs and your kind words! I really, really appreciate them.

And I just now went back and found I was able to add your sweet photo of your Daddy and Ginger. Whew! So here are your two sweethearts for all our family to share with you now. Forever in our hearts. Forever!


Attachment 8725

Awww... thank you so much!

In the midst of some early morning internet surfing, I came across this graphic that stopped me in my tracks. The graphic illustrates a model of grief that was first proposed by Dr. Lois Tonkin back in 1996. In discovering the graphic, I also discovered a website that looks to provide a lot of grief support (https://whatsyourgrief.com/). I’ll be checking out the website in more detail later on. But in the meantime, here’s the graphic of Dr. Tonkin’s model. It brings me comfort and also hope for growing some new memories for our family at the beginning of this Thanksgiving week.

Attachment 8726

Have a good trip, Marianne! And a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all! A few tears, some regrets and a lot of loneliness without our sweet Ginger.. the firsts are oh so difficult. But I am reminded of all those 15 wonderful Thanksgivings we did get to share with her and how spoiled she was! I would do it again in a heartbeat.
Hope this finds you all well and praying the good memories of the past and the ones you are making today truly soften the broken hearts, even if just a little.

Well, Thanksgiving is in the memory book now and today I start to pull out Christmas decorations. There were some bumps with our trip, but overall I’m very glad we went. Also very glad we’re safely home again, though. Traveling was definitely a strain on Luna, and she’s wobblier now than beforehand. But miraculously, her appetite seems back to normal. Don’t know whether it’s the appetite stimulant that we’re still giving her, or getting rid of those darn fleas, or just good fortune. But at least that’s one stress that’s been relieved, at least for the moment.

The weather is making it hard to feel very Christmasy. Record-breaking heat last week, and now a rainy stretch ahead of us. We picked out our tree in shirt sleeves on Wednesday; it’s soaking in a tub of water in the basement until this weekend when we’ll put it up. But I’ll start in with a few other decorations today. Most will just stay in the boxes since we’ll still be doing no entertaining this year and my house generally remains so cluttered that they’d just be lost from view even if I did put them out :-((((((. You can guess what my New Year’s resolution is gonna be…

All in all, feeling pretty melancholy this morning. I don’t mean to complain since we’re still so much luckier in the midst of the pandemic than so many. But it’s hard not to reflect on those happier days when I’d be bustling around to prepare for holiday guests and family feasts. I knew when my mom died that I’d need to forge some new traditions. But then along came COVID and I feel like I’m still in suspended animation. I need to be looking forward but for now it’s a lot easier to keep looking backward. So that’s where I am on this rainy morning, hauling out my boxes and revisiting my ghosts of Christmases past…

Hello.
Glad you are home safely and Luna's appetite is better. We are unseasonably warm here in Indiana also. Hope we have a white Christmas at least. I understand the melancholy feeling. Things are never the same after loosing a parent... it is hard to look forward because we have so many memories behind us.
It is the same with our sweet Ginger. Am feeling so anxious.. her stocking is hung because it didn't feel right to not hang it, yet it is heartbreaking to not shop for her. I am right there with you and for you.

Marianne, I am so glad you got to take your trip and so very happy Luna did as well as she did. I pray you have many, many more memories to make with your sweet girl.

Holidays for me aren't much fun any more. Especially since COVID hit....most of my family doesn't believe in the virus and refuses the vaccines so I haven't been able to spend time with them in almost 2 years. A few brief visits outside is about it. So Thanksgiving was me and the dogs with a meal provided by the church. But we had a peaceful, restful day, glad to have each other, a warm home, good food, and plenty of love to go around. This past Sat. I took my grandsons shopping and out to eat for their Christmas and we had a great time. They got to pick out some clothes, shoes, art and craft supplies, as well as some oddities that caught their fancy. I was thrilled when they said they wanted to shop for art supplies! The oldest grand one (20) is very creative and artistic, the youngest (almost 17) has had his creativity stifled but it's starting to peek out slowly these days. Life wouldn't be worth fighting for without them.

This last year has been hard...actually the last 2 years. The youngest grand had a tumultuous year that resulted in complete upheaval of the only life he's ever known leading him to a state of intense trauma that required some in-house professional help. He lived with me for several months until his dad was able to take him. He is still fragile but doing much better thankfully. In fact, he seems happier and more content than I have seen him in years. No one had any idea what he was suffering all that time. :(

Something is still wrong with my digestive system and recently I started rapid weight loss - 7 lbs in one week for example. So now my docs have stopped ignoring me and looking at me as if I have a loose screw and are going to start testing all over again after the first of the year. They've been telling me it's due to NAFLD (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease) and nothing can be done at this stage. They have come full circle and now think it's gallbladder again even tho that was ruled out repeatedly over the last 2 years. Apparently there is one test they could have done but haven't for that organ. LOL Anyhooooo....being sick almost every day with nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, and pain has resulted in some depression. The things I would typically do to keep my mind occupied just haven't been possible so that leaves me alone with my mind...and that ain't a good thang usually. ;) I had stopped decorating for Christmas for the most part a few years ago but the last 2 I simply haven't been able to muster any desire or energy for that at all. And I used to go overboard. I miss that excitement when those totes are opened and all those shiny meaningful ornaments are laid out for placement on the tree....but I don't miss the work involved. LOL I have separated the ornaments into large totes for each of the boys, given away most of my decorations, and keep the rest tucked away in the closet thinking maybe one day.

These things and others (like internet issues, computer issues, cataract surgeries) have kept me offline a great deal and that's not really a bad thing but it has meant I am out of the loop often. Facebook is becoming very frustrating on MANY levels and most days it is a forced affair for me to sign on there and participate in anything. But this place is, has been, and always will be special; it's home. It's where my Squirt and Trinket and Brick and Crys and so many others shared their lives...it's where they are kept safe. And I have missed this place and all of you more than I can find the words to express. I am going to do my utmost to be here more often in the time to come. This is where I belong.

It is my fervent prayer that each of you have the most wonderful, blessed Holiday season possible. That you all stay safe and well and whole. That your hearts be filled every day with joy, love, and laughter. That your Souls find peace and hope in every breath you take. That you are able to find pleasure in your loved ones and the times you share together. And that the coming year is the best you've ever known.

Merry Christmas, K9Cushing's Family, and a Happy New Year!
Leslie, Bud, Tilly, and Sophie

Firstly I want to wish our cushings family here a happy holiday season!!!! However you celebrate it, it is a time that has a special meaning for all - maybe a time for reflection, remembering and renewal.
We lost our boy, Clancy, on Christmas eve so many years ago and it seems like yesterday! We also lost our Myclan between Christmas and New Years several years ago. Needless to say the Holidays are incredibly hard for me; even after all this time. But we do smile here as the wonderful memories of our "puppers" shine through.
May peace and good health greet everyone of you this Season!
You all are part of a very special family here!!!
Terry

Oh Terry and Leslie, it’s so good to hear from you guys! Although I’m beyond sorry that you’re still feeling so poorly, Les. I’ll sure be keeping you in my thoughts and we’ll be anxious to hear any updates about your testing. This has dragged on for far too long, now, and I hope your doctors will finally get cracking. And I totally understand about downsizing the decorating. Even without your health issues, I haven’t had either the will or energy to set out very many decorations this year. We did get our tree put up, though, even though it’s a bit smaller than in years past. And I did find comfort in hanging my most special ornaments once again, in honor of beloved family and friends. I especially treasure those that have been gifted to me — I know you totally understand about that, Les. I’m so glad you had such a special time with your grandsons. I’m sure that was probably the greatest Christmas gift you could have received. Hang in there, my very dear friend, and my fondest wish for you in this coming year is a return to better health!

And Terry, Omigoodness, it wouldn’t feel like Christmas without having the chance to greet you, too! All the years we’ve been like sisters together tending the ILM forum — through the good and the bad. I do know how poignant the holidays have to be for you, what with your losses. And I always think of Patrick and Rags, too (for our other readers, they were dear members of our K9C family who we lost at Christmastime many years ago). Sooooooo many memories of *everything* we’ve shared together — thanks so much for stopping by once again!

Merry Christmas to you both, and to all the rest of our dear family!

Hello all and Merry Christmas. I hope each of you had a blessed day.
Ours was a mixture.. our first without sweet Ginger. Every moment I felt her absence.. the lump in my throat and ache in my heart were almost unbearable at times. I. ( we. My husband and I) did our best to busy ourselves with a quick breakfast, kitchen clean up, then over to my mom and sisters. I think getting out of the house and visiting there and helping out with dinner and things helped temporarily. We both still thought of Ginger every moment. but the busyness helped distract the loneliness and kept the tears at bay for the most part. I hated seeing her empty stocking under the tree, yet I couldn't not put it out.
I wrote a poem about her and the loss of my dad. This marks our 5th Christmas without him. I will try to copy and past here. I find strength in being here among those that truly understand.. blessing to all. Colleen.
Empty collar,
Empty chair.
Hard to believe
You're both not here.
Lump in my throat
Tears in my eyes
You both were
My hardest goodbyes.
A little piece
Here and there,
Holes in my heart
That won't repair.
You took with you
The very best.
Of my heart
And left the rest.
I'll try to fill it
Best I can.
Unconditional love,
Lend a helping hand.
But no amount
Will fill those parts,
Reserved for you
Deep in my heart.
So thankful for
The time we had.
Miss you Ginger,
Miss you Dad!

12-23-24.

Dear Colleen, your poem touches my own heart beyond measure. Thank you so much for sharing it with all of us who join you in loss. Our memories are both our joy and our sorrow; our comfort and our pain. What you’ve written is so sad, yet also so sweet and so true. You are truly gifted, my friend, to be able to give voice to your (our!) feelings in this way and your words are so meaningful to us all.

In loving memory of all our angels, and in loving gratitude for our dear K9C family here. We “Support…Educate…Encourage…Remember” one another. Today and always.

43 weeks!!!! My birthday, Gingers birthday. Halloween, Thanksgiving, my husband's birthday. Christmas, New Years. And my Daddy's birthday tomorrow( what would have been his 97th).... each and all of these have been firsts without my sweet Ginger! Her absence has hit like a ton of bricks.... my emotions have been a roller coaster.. wanting to celebrate each, celebrate the season, yet longing to hold her. Share with her. Include her as we did each and every year.. I embrace her memories, am thankful for each one but only through tear filled eyes.

Oh Colleen, I so understand. Every anniversary is hard, but I do believe the year of “firsts” is especially piercing. I’m so glad you’ve joined us here in our holiday house this year, though. I know you’ve had many rough moments yourself, but your kindness to the rest of us has eased *our* hearts, as well. So we thank you for being here and for supporting all our family.

And on this sunny, cold day in Georgia, I’m feeling as though the doors to this year’s house are preparing to close for another year. Tomorrow we’ll be taking down our beautiful tree and driving it over to be turned into mulch for gardens and trails. I’ll dearly miss its twinkling lights every night and early each morning. But for myself, today feels as though the holidays are now behind us once again. It’ll take a while for me to pack away all the other decorations. But once the tree has left us, the spirit of the holiday season seems to depart for me, as well. A bittersweet day, for sure.

I surely want to thank everybody who has stopped by to see us this year. I’m saddened to be missing seeing some old friends here, but I’m so hoping that their absence is due to their lives being filled with other new, good experiences as time continues to march on. Best wishes to all our family in the coming year, wherever they may be. Stay safe, and be well!

Marianne

17 years ago today, my( our) life changed forever!��❤.. you came into our lives a 5 month old precious tiny pup. So needy, so loving, so full of life. We celebrated 16 birthdays and 16 " welcome homes" with you! 15 Thanksgivings and Christmases! We are indeed grateful and thankful for every single day. You filled our lives with so much joy! It was so fulfilling to be so needed, so loved unconditionally. Miss you every single day Ginger...
Hope you all are well and staying warm.

Well, here we are, already near the end of October 2022! Can you believe it? Halloween is almost upon us, and it’s time to reopen the doors to our autumn holiday house once again. You guys all know the drill by now — any time you feel as though you’d welcome some company during the coming days, we’ll be here to join you.

The biggest news on my end is simply that sweet Luna is still with us. She’s very fragile and we truly take things one day at a time. But she’s still here, and the orange collar is awaiting her on Halloween should she feel up to wearing it. I so hope she will. We have no other special plans for now. The Halloween candy has been bought and our pumpkins are on the front porch awaiting carving. Last year we had the pleasure of watching our Atlanta Braves in the baseball playoffs all through October and into the World Series over Halloween weekend. Sadly, that won’t be repeated for us. But I’m hoping that Halloween will still be a fun night for us, regardless.

It has turned cold early for us this year, with our first frosts over the last couple of nights. So my pots of summer flowers are goners, but I freshly planted some pansies (orange and purple blooms, of course!) to launch Halloween and to take us through the winter. They can survive the winters here in Atlanta, and then they’ll really thrive in early spring.

So that’s the October news from our house. As always, I send my warmest holiday wishes to all our family, and I hope to see some of you dropping by to visit during the coming weeks.

Love, Marianne

This Halloween will be one year since Gable got sick and died two days later. I have decorated a little, not as much as in the past. I just don't feel like it.

Josh and I have spent almost every Sunday checking out all the Spirit Halloween stores within a 20 mile car ride. We've done seven so far! Sibbie comes with us even though she hates the animatronics. It's been fun doing things with him again. He's got his Haunt set up in his basement with all his old, and new creatures. But both Josh and Alex have outgrown the tame traditions of the past and I am not into the gruesome haunted houses anymore.

The front is decorated, candy bought, and I've also got my mums and pumpkins set out front. I can't believe the holidays are upon us once again...

Happy Halloween to all!

Oh Joan, I sure do remember how awful last Halloween turned out to be for you. I’m very proud of you for decorating at all! I know it’ll be impossible for you to ever forget the linkage. The older I get myself, I realize that I have far more holidays behind me than I have in front of me, and each one now carries a myriad of memories, both good and sorrowful. I’m trying to still honor all the good memories as best I can, but I sure do understand why this Halloween is especially hard for you.

In honesty, I’m entering this whole holiday season with less anticipation than usual, myself. I’m not sure why. Luna’s health always weighs on my mind these days. And the last two years of COVID has also changed all the holiday equations. I plan to resume handing out candy at the door again this year, but will be wearing a mask myself (it’s nice that masks are the norm for Halloween, anyway!). To be honest, I’m as wary about flu as I am about COVID. Georgia currently has the worst flu outbreak in the country, and little kids here are *really* sick. The children’s hospitals here are overflowing, and whenever I’m out and about, I hear kids coughing their heads off. Yikes. We’ve gotten both our flu shots and new COVID boosters, but yes, I’ll definitely be wearing a mask at the door!

And at this point, I’m guessing that Thanksgiving and Christmas will both be pretty quiet events here at home. We can’t travel with Luna, and I don’t think other family members will be heading our way this year. So the decorations I put up are to please ourselves, and we just don’t need a whole lot. But the favorites will still come out of the closets and the basement. Traditions do mean a lot to me, and I’m hoping that Halloween night will still bring some of the joy and magic for me that I’ve always felt since being a little kid. Only a week to go now!

Yes, things are so different now, especially worrying about flu, Covid, the dogs getting older. Doree is 17 or 18 this year and a constant worry. She's almost blind from cataracts, her back is so bad, and her poor little hind legs keep popping out...but she still knows her dad and since he sits in the chair with her all day she's content. He is so tired from the chemo pills, and probably the cancer, so they just cuddle up during the day and then I sleep down here while she is in the playpen. I don't let her wander anymore at night. She forgets where she is and gets panicky, and falls a lot.

I also have out my favorite decorations, and I will hand out the candy like I always do. I have such fond memories of me and Lena sitting on the stoop giving out candy. She loved seeing all the kids and so many pictures of her were taken with them. I know she would want me to keep doing it and it makes me feel close to her. Sibbie hates all the costumes and barks at them, LOL!

I so hope Luna gets to wear the orange collar for Halloween. I know how hard it is not to worry...

Take care of yourselves and give her a big kiss from me!

Love, Joan

Well, it’s a very foggy spooky morning after, and it has made it cozy to sleep a bit later. Halloween 2022 is now in the books. Yesterday Luna did well, for her, and wore the orange collar with style. Yay!!!! It was a relatively quiet evening in our neighborhood with far fewer kids out-and-about than the last couple of years. Maybe the loosening of COVID restrictions prompted more parties and organized group events this time around? It’s always so hard to predict just how much candy to buy, and this year we’ve got a lot left over. But over time, hubby and I will be able to take care of that problem, I’m sure ;-).

I’ll go ahead and leave my Halloween decorations up until the weekend because I love them so. And then it’ll be the shift to Thanksgiving as the holidays march onward.

In the meantime, I’m especially thinking of you today and tomorrow, Joan. I know how tough these memories have to be. And I’m especially thinking of sweet Gable. He’s forever in our hearts, today and always, and we’ll never forget him.

Love, Marianne